Nobody Knows What This Mystery Animal Spotted In Texas Is
By Sherah Janay Ndjongo
August 18, 2023
In a Hill Country Village neighborhood in Texas, local Tina Kahlig is enlisting the community's assistance in unraveling the identity of a mysterious creature she captured on her camera.
Kahlig recounted the moment when she peered out from her residence and was suddenly bewildered by the sight before her. "I was inside and I looked out into the yard. And I saw an animal right here and thought, 'Wow, what is that?'"
The enigma in question was busy feasting on fallen berries from a nearby bush, an image Kahlig was quick to capture. To gather more ideas about what type of species the animal could be, Kahlig shared her photographic evidence on the NextDoor platform, allowing her neighbors to contribute to the discussion with their personal hypotheses.
Among the suggestions, besides the notion that she had run into the legendary "chupacabra," is that it might be a crossbreed between a coyote and a dog. Local lore has it that a mountain lion may be inhabiting the vicinity of Hill Country Village, too, and Kahlig was able to capture evidence of it. However, officials from the city have stated that no concrete evidence of this elusive creature has ever been documented.
Rachel Malstaff, who holds the position of director of mammals at the San Antonio Zoo, weighed in on the matter, suggesting that the creature in the photographs could potentially be a coyote or a dog. Zoo veterinarians looked over the images, and arrived at the conclusion that that the creature may be a canine grappling with mange or other dermatological issues.